novelist academic short-story writer
Between (1956-1961) Siti Zainon attended Sekolah Rendah Setapak in Kuala Lumpur and Sekolah Rendah Langgar in Kota Bharu in Kelantan. Between 1970-1973, she attended Sekolah Tinggi Seni Rupa (High School for Arts and Craft) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Artist From Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and received her Doctor of Philosophy in 1992 from Universiti Malaya.
She is best known for her multi-genre novel, Pulau Renek Ungu (The Island of Purple Crocus, 1995). Early life and education Siti Zainon"s secondary education was spent in Sekolah Menengah Aminuddin Baki in Kuala Lumpur. During her childhood in Kota Bharu, she taught the art of batik painting.
She was trained in drawing by Idris Haji Salam before joining Angkatan Penulis Semenanjung between 1964 to 1968.
She has an Master of Arts Before establishing her career in literature, Siti Zainon worked as an art instructor with the Malaysian Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport until 1976. As art instructor, she conducted art lessons for children in Taman Budaya and later, at the Pasar Seni in Kuala Lumpur.
A semi-autobiographical novel that cuts across several genres - historical, travel, mystery, and romance - Pulau Renek Ungu depicts Zaidah, a Malaysian university lecturer who travels the world for her doctoral research. Zaidah is born in Sarawak and is keen on unearthing her father"s clandestine war-time nationalist activities in Borneo.
During her research she encounters Henry, an Australian engineer, on a cruise ship.
She discovers that Henry and her friend, Raiman, a banker and politician, share a common English grandfather. The novel also portrays Zaidah"s aspirations and career as a female academic, the challenges she faces as a high-educated woman and free spirit. By the end of the novel, Zaidah, Raiman, and Henry find that their past is intertwined in the colonial history in Borneo.
